Wahoo Weaponry

I first met Walker Holcomb behind the counter of our local saltwater tackle store. He immediately struck up a conversation as I entered, and I don't think he has stopped talking since. Just like the redneck farmer in the new Budweiser commercials, once you get Holcomb started you're going to get an earful. Fortunately for us, the thing he likes most to talk about is fishing. I soon came to recognize that his gift for gab wasn't all talk. He worked often as a freelance mate in many of the major tournaments along the East Coast and spent a few weeks each winter chasing record-size wahoo in the Bahamas. We soon became good friends, and I hired him to help run Marlin University.

If you've been a reader of Marlin magazine over the past two or three years, then you've often seen Holcomb's name in our Tips & Techniques department. He loves to experiment, and with the wide selection of materials he has on hand at the Fishing Store in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, his imagination is the only limitation to his creative rigs.

Even with all the billfishing Holcomb gets to do, the hunt for big wahoo is his favorite pastime. With that in mind, I asked him to build a couple of rigs for a wahoo article I had in the works. A week later he brought in a box literally overflowing with brand-new rigs, the likes of which I had never seen before. ''All these are way different than the standard wahoo combos like a black-and-red Sea Witch with a strip, Yo-Zuri Marauder plugs or a split-tailed, chin-weighted mullet which all work fine,'' says Holcomb. ''But these rigs kick it up a notch.''

A Few Tips First

Most of these rigs are made to go fast on a variety of different line classes. ''I've made a selection that will run on 20-pound test to up to unlimited class and wire lines. Many of these lures work extremely well running alone on a shotgun rig while you travel to and from your favorite offshore grounds,'' says Holcomb. ''If you're on the water, you might as well be fishing.''

Most sport bullet-shaped heads to facilitate straight tracking at high speeds. And since wahoo come with a formidable array of razor-sharp teeth, braided cable and wire leaders are a must. Even when trolling lighter line, don't scrimp on the weight of your wire, Holcomb advises. ''Go with No. 9 or above to help control the fish at boat-side. A big wahoo will head right for the boat's hardware if he can get his head turned.

''A lot of people prefer cable over single-strand wire since the wire is more fragile. Lures can sometimes get airborne at high speeds and kink the wire. Also, one fish pretty much ruins a wire rig, and you have to build another to replace it. You can use cable over and over again, and it is easier to work with than trying to twist 2.2-gauge piano wire.

We picked lures with several styles of hook-sets so you can see how many different variations will work, but Holcomb really likes the new, one-piece Double Trouble hook-sets from Quick Rig. ''I like their strength and the fact that they sharpen well,'' he says. ''The Double Troubles make a great drag-and-snag hook-set for wahoo fishing, but you can't use them when fishing for IGFA records since they are a one-piece double-hook rig.''

While we tell you the actual components used to make each rig shown, feel free to experiment with different colors, sizes and weights. ''A lot of these lures can be made with the gear most guys already have lying around -- jet-head lures, mylar skirts, squid skirts and a bunch of lead. When it comes to colors, I prefer darker lures because of their high contrast at speed. I also try to throw a bit of mylar into the rig somewhere to provide the flash that wahoo seem to favor,'' says Holcomb.

He also likes to add artificial strips to some rigs. ''Strips provide a nice fluttering action like a tail kicking, and some guys like to have the scent. But using natural strips will slow you down. If you're not concerned about adding scent to your lures, go with the artificial strips -- they add the same action and are a lot more durable at high speeds.''

A number of these rigs use combinations of lures to add weight and bulk for a larger profile. But just adding weight to a lure won't keep it from skipping out of the water at 10 knots. ''When you're going faster than 9 or 10 knots, adding weight is an exercise in futility if your goal is just to get your baits to run deeper. The laws of physics say that that any heavy lure will eventually make its way back to the surface as you increase your speed,'' says Holcomb.

To get down deep, you're obviously going to have to sacrifice a bit of speed and use either a downrigger, planer or in-line trolling sinker. ''You can run big planers like a #24 or #32 at up to 12 knots on a transom rope, but they pull too much drag to run off a rod,'' says Holcomb. ''The biggest planer I'll run off a rod is a #12, and even then I pull it on a 130.''

One modification all these lures share is some sort of stop to keep the lure from riding up the leader and inviting strikes from another fish. Holcomb crimps on a bead and stopper crimp when using braided cable, and ties in a haywire stop about 4 inches in front of the lure when using single-strand.

So here they are, 10 high-speed lures guaranteed to raise the cry of ''Wahoo!'' after a crushing strike and drag-blistering run.

30-Pound and Under

Geo Sonic

• 16 knots
• 10-inch Geo Sonic Wahoo/Tuna
• #15 Malin wire
• 7/0 Double Trouble with 90-degree offset
• stopper bead

Holcomb primarily uses the Geo Sonic line of high-speed lures when searching for tuna schools, but says they work well for wahoo when rigged on wire. Start by using a haywire twist to attach a 15-foot section of #15 Malin wire to a 7/0 Double Trouble hook-set. Now simply slide on a 10-inch Geo Sonic Wahoo/Tuna lure. Add bead and haywire stopper.

The small, streamlined lure creates little drag, making it a good lure to pull on light lines. It works in all conditions, is very simple to rig and offers a good option when in the search mode.

Mylar Wahoo Clone and Strip

• 16 knots
• #19 Malin wire
• 6-inch Mylar Clone from Bluewater Tackle
• Two Billy Bait 9-inch artificial strips
• Rigging floss
• Mustad 7/0 7691S
• Todd's 7/0 Cable Extension Rig
• Two small zip ties

This lure provides the large profile and action of a strip bait without sacrificing speed. The webbing inside the artificial strips anchor the floss, making it a very durable strip-bait imitator.

Start by sewing two 9-inch Billy Bait strips together, stitching about halfway down on each side. Slide the Cable Extension Rig in between the strips, and punch the hook through one side so that the cable loop on the extender rig rests at the tip of the strips. Slip your #19 wire leader material through the cable loop, and secure with a haywire twist. Punch two holes in the strips up near the loop, and secure the artificial strips to the cable loop with the zip ties. Slide a 6-inch Mylar Clone on the wire, and finish with a bead and stopper twist.

Wahoo Wacker

• up to 10 knots
• #19 Malin wire
• Mylar Clone from Bluewater
• Seven Strand Wahoo Wacker
• 9/0 Mustad 7691S
• H&H replacement spinner blade
• Sampo Tournament snap swivel, 75-pound
• Two spacer beads
• Stopper bead

Start by opening the hook eye with a pair of dikes so you can slide on the snap swivel that will hold the spinner blade, and then close the eye. Attach the blade to the snap swivel. Run your #19 wire through the hook eye and around the shank before doubling back through the hook eye and finishing off with a haywire twist. Slide on one a spacer bead, the Seven Strand Wahoo Wacker, the second bead and the Mylar Clone. Finish with a bead and stopper twist.

The blade on this lure adds flash but slows you down just a bit. It's not a super-high-speed bait, but it works great once you find the fish.

50- to 80-pound

Billy Baroo

• up to 18 knots
• 2-ounce Billy Bait
• Two glow beads
• 1-ounce cast-net lead (mainly for space)
• 2 spacer beads
• Seven Strand Aurora Skirt
• 3-ounce egg sinker
• 8-ounce egg sinker drilled out
• 8/0 Double Trouble hook-set
• 2.2-gauge piano wire from Tanner Tackle
• Stopper bead

This rig represents a good, all-around, go-fast bait that you can pull from any position in most sea states. Start by running the 2.2-gauge piano wire through the hook eye of a 8/0 Double Trouble, wrapping it around the hook shank and back through the eye. Finish with a haywire twist. Using a quarter-inch drill bit, ream out about an 8-ounce egg sinker about halfway through to accommodate the bulk of the haywire, and slide it down to the hook eye. Insert a 3-ounce egg sinker into a Seven Strand Aurora skirt, and slide down onto the 8-ounce sinker. Now add a glow bead, a 1-ounce cast-net weight, the second glow bead and the 2-ounce Billy Bait. Finish with a bead and stopper twist.

By drilling out the big egg sinker and stuffing the haywire inside the weight, you get a good, stiff rig that won't flop around. This is a superfast bait that you can run at speeds up to 18 knots.

Tracker Combo

• up to 18 knots
• #19 Malin Wire
• Three color-matching beads
• Iland Lure Tracker
• Two spacer beads
• ¾-ounce egg sinker
• Todd's 11-ounce Wahoo Bomb
• 9/0 Double Trouble

Fast and easy to rig, the Tracker Combo features the alluring flash of the Tracker from Tournament Tackle in tandem with the heavyweight performance of the 11-ounce Wahoo Bomb.

Start by twisting the #19 wire to a 9/0 Double Trouble hook-set. Now slide on the Wahoo Bomb, which already has a nice-sized hole in the back to accommodate the haywire twist. Follow that with a spacer bead, the ¾-ounce egg sinker and another spacer bead. Slide down the Tracker, and finish with beads and stopper twist. (It's not necessary to match the colors of the beads and lures, but this does make it look nice.)

Octo Jet

• up to 18 knots
• 900-pound aircraft cable
• 2-ounce Bluewater Troller
• Two 2-ounce egg sinkers
• 6-ounce Todd's Tuna Jet
• 9/0 Double Trouble
• Two 2.2mm crimps

Another rig that runs very fast, the Octo Jet makes a good search-and-destroy lure. It's a great lure anywhere in the spread, but getting it to run from the outriggers takes some work because of the weight. Use heavy #64 rubber bands to hold the main line to tag lines if running from the riggers.

Start with 900-pound aircraft cable (available from Tanner Tackle), passing it through the eye of a 9/0 Double Trouble hook-set. Pass the cable around the shank and back through the eye before securing with a 2.2mm crimp. Slide on the 6-ounce Tuna Jet followed by the two 2-ounce egg sinkers and a 2-ounce Bluewater Upright Troller. (The back of the Upright Troller is made to accommodate the nose of a ballyhoo, so it sits nicely on top of the egg sinker.) Add a spacer bead on top of the Troller, pull the whole rig down tight and finish with a crimp stopper.

Octo Strip

• 8 knots
• 2.2-gauge piano wire
• 2-ounce Bluewater Upright Troller
• 2-ounce cast-net lead
• Todd's 8/0 Cable Extension Rig
• Skipjack strip, 12 inches
• Two small zip ties

The natural strip bait slows you down a bit when using this rig, but the action and added scent of the tuna belly keeps them coming back for more. The rig makes a great alternative to running whole natural baits and works well on the flat line, shotgun or downrigger.

Start by trimming out a 12-ounce belly strip from the tuna of your choice. Attach the 8/0 Cable Extension Rig to the 2.2-gauge piano wire with a haywire twist. Lay the extension rig alongside the strip to mark your position, and then insert the hook through the strip so that the cable loop lines up with the front end on the strip. Punch two holes in the strip, and secure it to the cable loop by passing two zip ties through the holes and around the cable. Now slide on a 2-ounce cast-net lead and a 2-ounce Bluewater Upright Troller. Finish with a bead and stopper twist.

80-Pound to Unlimited

Searcher Strip

• 10 knots
• 2.2-gauge piano wire
• Tournament Tackle Sea Searcher
• 6-ounce cigar lead
• Two 9/0 Mustad 7691S

Sew together two belly strips to create a bit more bulk and an added bit of durability. Position the first hook in one of the strips so that the hook eye lies about ¼ inch from the top of the strip, and then sew the two strips together about halfway down each side. Position the second hook in the strips, but pass the hook through the opposite side so that you have a hook point coming out of each side. Open up the eye of the second hook with a pair of dikes, pass it over the shank of the first hook and then close. Pass the 2.2-gauge wire through the eye of the front hook and secure with a haywire twist. Now use two zip ties to secure the strips to the front hook by passing them around the strips and through the eye of the hook. Slide on a 6-ounce cigar lead, and follow with a Sea Searcher from Tournament Tackle. Finish with a bead and stopper twist.

Big Billy Jet

• up to 20 knots
• 900-pound Aircraft Cable
• 12-ounce Billy Jet
• 3-ounce egg sinker
• Two glow beads
• 14-ounce Todd's Wahoo Bomb
• 10/0 Double Trouble
• Two 2.2mm crimps

The Big Billy Jet is a heavy, high-speed lure that offers a large profile. Break out the big gear to pull this one. Start by passing 900-pound cable through the eye of a 10/0 Double Trouble hook-set, wrapping it around the shank and back out through the eye and crimp tightly. Slide on a 14-ounce Wahoo Bomb, a glow bead and the 3-ounce egg sinker. Finish with the 12-ounce Billy Jet, a glow bead (it fits perfectly in the cavity of the jet) and a stopper crimp.

Iland Bomb

• up to 20 knots
• 900-pound cable
• Stopper bead
• Glow bead
• Tournament Tackle Ilander (Hawaiian Eye)
• 14-ounce Todd's Wahoo Bomb
• Two 2.2mm crimps

Use this high-speed rig when searching for fish. Having few components makes it easy to rig and quick to get out. Start by passing 900-pound cable through the eye of a 10/0 Double Trouble hook-set, wrapping it around the shank and back out through the eye, and crimp tightly. Slide on a 14-ounce Wahoo Bomb, a glow bead and an Iland lure from Tournament Tackle. Finish with a stopper bead and crimp.